Are you always on the lookout for something to do that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, isn’t too crowded, and qualifies as an educational use of an afternoon? Here are a few museums tucked away around West Virginia that check all three of those boxes! They’re little known hidden gems, but they’re all well worth a visit… and best of all? They all offer free admission (donations welcome)!
- Museum of American Glass (Weston)
Museum of American Glass in West Virginia/Facebook A beautiful symphony of color and shape awaits inside this museum filled with glass artistry from around the state and around the world! Learn more here.
- Ramsdell House (Ceredo)
Ramsdell House/Facebook The Ramsdell House was the last stop before freedom along the Underground Railroad for slaves escaping the south via this route, and you can still visit the cellar door that leads to a tunnel to the nearby Ohio River. Learn more here.
- American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor Museum (Wellsburg)
American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor - ADBC Museum WWII/Facebook Hidden in the Brookes County Library is a little known museum with a big claim to fame: it’s the largest collection of artifacts relating to the American defense of the Philippine regions of Bataan and Corregidor! Learn more here.
- World War Memorial (Kimball)
Brian M. Powell/Wikipedia Honoring the legacies of the African Americans who fought in World War I, this museum is the most significant of its kind in the world. Learn more here.
- Mountaineer Military Museum (Weston)
Google Maps If you are a war history buff, here’s another one for you featuring all sorts of local military history! Learn more here.
- West Virginia State Farm Museum (Point Pleasant)
WV State Farm Museum/Facebook At the state farm museum, you can take a stroll back through the history of agriculture in the Mountain State… plus much, much more! Learn more here.
- The Culture Center (Charleston)
West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History/Facebook Hiding beneath the state capitol building (or at least on the capitol complex) is a West Virginia themed journey through time that you won’t want to miss! Learn more here.
- Shoney’s Big Boy Museum (Charleston)
Google Maps This might be the tiniest museum in the state. It’s definitely one of the most unique, commemorating with pride the origins of the Shoney’s Big Boy right here in Charleston, West Virginia. Learn more here.
- True Treats (Harpers Ferry)
True Treats Historic Candy/Facebook The best part about this candy museum is that the candy is for sale! So stop by to learn about the history of candy, and leave with a sweet treat in hand. Learn more here.
Please note that it is extra important to check each museum’s website or call ahead before you arrive at their doorstep, as some of these small operations are only open for tours at certain, very specific times during the week.
Museum of American Glass in West Virginia/Facebook
A beautiful symphony of color and shape awaits inside this museum filled with glass artistry from around the state and around the world! Learn more here.
Ramsdell House/Facebook
The Ramsdell House was the last stop before freedom along the Underground Railroad for slaves escaping the south via this route, and you can still visit the cellar door that leads to a tunnel to the nearby Ohio River. Learn more here.
American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor - ADBC Museum WWII/Facebook
Hidden in the Brookes County Library is a little known museum with a big claim to fame: it’s the largest collection of artifacts relating to the American defense of the Philippine regions of Bataan and Corregidor! Learn more here.
Brian M. Powell/Wikipedia
Honoring the legacies of the African Americans who fought in World War I, this museum is the most significant of its kind in the world. Learn more here.
Google Maps
If you are a war history buff, here’s another one for you featuring all sorts of local military history! Learn more here.
WV State Farm Museum/Facebook
At the state farm museum, you can take a stroll back through the history of agriculture in the Mountain State… plus much, much more! Learn more here.
West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History/Facebook
Hiding beneath the state capitol building (or at least on the capitol complex) is a West Virginia themed journey through time that you won’t want to miss! Learn more here.
This might be the tiniest museum in the state. It’s definitely one of the most unique, commemorating with pride the origins of the Shoney’s Big Boy right here in Charleston, West Virginia. Learn more here.
True Treats Historic Candy/Facebook
The best part about this candy museum is that the candy is for sale! So stop by to learn about the history of candy, and leave with a sweet treat in hand. Learn more here.
Need even more options? West Virginia’s state parks are free admission as well!
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Address: The Museum Of American Glass in West Virginia, 230 Main Ave, Weston, WV 26452, USAAddress: Ramsdell House, Box 691, 1108 B St, Ceredo, WV 25507, USAAddress: 945 Main St, Wellsburg, WV 26070, USAAddress: Kimball War Memorial, 178 One Way St, Kimball, WV 24853, USAAddress: 345 Center Ave, Weston, WV 26452, USAAddress: West Virginia State Farm Museum, 1458 Fairground Rd, Point Pleasant, WV 25550, USAAddress: West Virginia Capitol Building, Charleston, WV 25305, USAAddress: 1600 Kanawha Blvd W, Charleston, WV 25387, USAAddress: True Treats Historic Candy, 144 High St, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
